All about Ethics

Definition of ethical: being in accordance with the rules or standards for right conduct or practice, especially with a profession; pertaining to or dealing with morals, pertaining to right and wrong in conduct.

Synonyms of ethics: morals, honesty, righteous, virtuous, [correct] conduct.

Willy Loman and unethical behavior?:

·       He lies to Linda and tells her how much he’s making when in reality he’s really just borrowing money from their neighbor.

·       He has an affair with another woman and didn’t tell anybody about it…then when Biff finds out, he tries to deny the situation.

·       He’s always talking about how Biff is going to move on to college and beyond and do great things when Biff is pretty much just taking after his own father.

·       He tries to commit suicide more than once-it’s completely selfish of him to think that Linda would be okay or even survive without him.

·       He tries to cover up the fact that he was intentionally trying to kill himself-makes up with as many excuses as possible to talk his way out of situations.

·       He can be extremely cocky and arrogant on the outside but inside, he’s hurting and is too stubborn to let anyone know about it.

·       He continuously lies and makes up excuses to get his way out of certain situations, no matter who he is lying to

·       He doesn’t handle bad news very well; his attitude usually shows that he’s a strong, confident man who can take criticism, except when dealing with the truth.

·       One of the worst outcomes from Willy’s stupid mistakes and unethical behavior is that his sons have become the epiphany of him and are walking in his footsteps.

Graduation Speech

Using your Mistakes to help you Build a Brighter Future

There is not a single person in this room that can tell me, “I have never once made a mistake.” Wrong, we ALL make mistakes, it is our human nature. And we, as a graduating class of senior high school-ers, are the experts in knowing what it’s like to make a wrong decision. We’re so caught up in our own lives and our friends and futures and what it’s going to be like for some of us to live on our own next year, that we sometimes take the easy way out of situations…or what may have seemed to be the easy way out. Yeah, it was probably a good idea at the time, but what happened after you made that decision and felt B.A. for one night? Trouble. So what exactly is my definition of a mistake? It’s a judgment caused by poor reasoning, carelessness, misunderstanding, and misinterpretation. A lot of times I hear people my age say, “Live for today…,” but to me, it sounds like something’s missing. What about what happened yesterday, or what’s going to happen tomorrow? Life in itself is a gift, and it can either bring you more or take them away. My advice? Whether you’re going to college, joining the military or even staying home and getting a job, there are three steps in which you should follow after making a mistake: to admit, amend, and ascertain.

·       The first and most difficult thing to do is to ADMIT that you screwed up. It’s easy to come up with excuses as to why something happened and even blame others for your actions…but you have to come to the realization that it was your very OWN decision. Don’t lie and take the easy way out, if you admit the truth, you will soon realize that it is a hundred times easier on yourself, and others. It shows that you are mature and responsible enough to get those pickles sorted out.

·       The second point is to amend and come to terms with whoever else might have been involved with your past decisions…but most importantly, you have to forgive YOURSELF. Don’t beat yourself up for whatever it was that happened…you made a mistake and you’re going to make plenty more in the future. “An error doesn’t become a mistake until you refuse to correct it.” Keep your head up, and stay positive. You don’t want to live with regrets and say to yourself, “I wish I would have...” Fix it as soon as possible, because the longer you wait, the less likely it’ll be that you will ask for forgiveness.

·       The final step is to ascertain from what’s been done. Life is about learning from your mistakes, not dwelling on the past. Making decisions can come with heavy burdens, but if you’re able and willing to let those burdens lift off your shoulders, it’s a whole new perspective. Once you know you’ve learned from your past decisions, it’s crucial to be sure that you won’t do it again. Set goals and boundary lines for yourself so you don’t fall into the same temptations. If you are repeatedly faced with similar difficulties over and over again, that is most likely a sign that you have not yet learned the lessons in which these situations are trying to teach. “Life presents us with a new opportunity every day. Learn from both your mistakes and accomplishments to help build yourself a better future for tomorrow.”

On this day of graduating from high school, almost all of us have made a decision for what we intend on doing with our lives for the fall of 2012 and I hope that none of you will regret the choices that you have made in making this big decision. Even if your year doesn’t go in the exact direction in which you wanted, I hope that you will all embrace it for what your future has to offer. My challenge to each and every one of you revolves around the three step process in making a mistake: to admit, amend, and ascertain. Don’t feel regretful because something didn’t quite plan out the way that you would have liked it to…take those situations and what you have learned from them to make you the person that you are today; because if it weren’t for your mistakes, you wouldn’t be where you are right now…ready to finally graduate from high school. Good luck out there, class of 2012.

American Dream(s)

Grace Callison

American Dream(s)

Willy: He would like to have a big house with Linda and a nice, big garden someday; to be the best salesman and known in a lot of towns/places where he sells. He used to dream of Biff going to college with a scholarship to play football.

Biff: He wants to own a big house in the country and to be married to someone who is similar to his own mother; you could say he wants to be successful in life but not necessarily at the top of the food chain (middle class).

Happy: He wishes to own the business/company that he works at right now and to be the head honcho; he begs for attention. Doesn't really care about getting married and even if he did, nobody else would pay attention or mind anyways. He only cares about getting the best women (generally who are married).

Me: I have many dreams...I hope to own a bakery someday, marry a country/farm boy, live in the country on a farm with lots of animals and horses but not too far away for my future children of five to go to school. I hope to stay close to home to where my intermediate family lives and never move away from them. If I lose touch with friends during or after college, I hope to rekindle those relationships at some point. I never want to give up on my goals or live my life with regrets, I want to hit life’s curveballs fair and square.

Dreams can come true if you push yourself towards excellence and strive with your best foot forward each and every day. Work hard, and that hard work will eventually pay off.

Responding to Other Blogs

Nattles,
Good job on your entire blog. I'm impressed that you finished each assignment and turned it in on time ;) Just kidding...but I liked your pictures and what you had to say about each character. You didn't simply create posts and gave your own opinions but you took a deeper look into what each assignment was asking for and provided factual information and evidence. Thanks for creating an enjoyable blog!
-Gee Gee

MCKenzie,
I liked how you organized your blog; it was easy to follow and fun to read. You did a really nice job of including all the posts and providing what was necessary to complete the entire blog. You could tell that you spent a good amount of time on each assignment and put a lot of thought into your blog. Good job, friend!
-Graceee

Tips on how to WRITE and DELIVER a Speech

Grace Callison

Tips on how to write a speech:

1.    Write about how you would talk: don’t use big words that you wouldn’t generally use on a day-to-day basis (especially if you don’t know how to use them in context).

2.    Write in short sentences: make them simple and stick to the point; don’t create long, confusing sentences with a lot of commas.

3.    Don’t worry about having perfect grammar: who really talks in perfect complete sentences anyways? Kidding, but no one is going to point out your little grammatical errors.

"Writing with Writers: Speech Writing - Tips from the Pros."Web. 24 Feb. 2012.

1.    Think about your audience: people want to hear your personality through your words; keep in mind what is amusing to the people listening to you.

2.    Organize your thoughts in three to seven main points: you don’t want your speech to be put together randomly with little anecdotes.

3.    Add support: reference personal life experiences and lessons that you’ve learned.

Editor, EHow Education."How to Write a Speech."EHow. Demand Media, 20 Feb. 2000. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.

1.    Begin preparing for your speech early and gather as much information as you can before you start writing your speech.

2.    Write a rough draft first: don’t be worried about writing a perfect paper your first round because that most likely will not happen.

3.    Make the speech reflect who you are as a person, not someone you’re trying to be or impress.

Cole, Bill. "Ten Top Tips For Writing A Memorable Speech." Web. 24 Feb. 2012.

Tips on how to deliver a speech:

1.    Use hand gestures: it’s boring for the audience to watch someone just stand and talk, you have to keep their attention but not so much that it becomes distracting.

2.    Speak with confidence: act like you know what you're talking about even if you may not be delivering the greatest written speech.

3.    Practice makes perfect: you want to be sure to know when the right time is for pauses and ending your speech so that you don’t go over your time limit.

“Where to begin for writing a speech .” Public peaking tips. Public Speaking Tips.org, n.d. Web. 15 Nov 2011. A research guide for students.OCLC Online Computer Library Center, 2008.Web. 24 Feb 2012.

1.    Dress nicely: wearing sweats is probably not your best choice; if you’re up in front of people then you need to take it seriously and act professional.

2.    Make and maintain eye contact with your audience: this is also another factor of keeping them awake and attentive.

3.    Use visual aids, especially if you’re turning in the written speech-it makes it more fun for your teacher or grader to read.

“Tips on Public Speaking.” Act Now. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb 2012.

1.    Speak loud enough for everyone to hear but don’t yell-you don’t want to forget about the people sitting right in front of you.

2.    Change your tone of voice while you’re reading: it becomes boring for everyone if you’re not enthusiastic about what you have to say.

3.    Be sure that you’re not reading directly from your paper: glancing down every once in a while is fine but you should not be constantly looking off of it and reading it word for word.

“Public Speaking Tips.” MIT UROP: Resources. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb 2012.